12 Days of Witchmas
You know the song… “On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…” but why can’t we give ourselves little magickal gifts for 12 days of Witchmas? Guess what? We totally can! So rather than lords and ladies – and all those dang birds, am I right? – how about 12 magickal practices to create an even more delightful Yule this year? Let’s do it!
On the First Day of Witchmas: Cast a Quick Spell
Kick off the Yule season right with one of your favorite spells. Prosperity, gratitude, and cozy magick spells are perfect for this time of year. You can also use a Fire Magick Spell to create more warmth in your home as we approach the sabbat. Cast the following match spell if you’re pressed for time:
Instructions:
- Pick out one matchstick and hold it in your dominant hand. Infuse your intention into your matchstick.
- Next, light the match and place it in a fireproof bowl or cauldron.
- Say this spell as you light the match: Match head burning bright; ignite my intentions and bring them to light.
- Look into the flame of the burning match for symbols, images, or messages.
On the Second Day of Witchmas: Cook Up Some Magick
Add a little magick to your meal prep with the following ingredients and their correspondences. Cut sigils in the ingredients before adding them to your dish, or stir intentions into your recipe by going clockwise (counterclockwise to eliminate something).
- Apple: Love, healing
- Corn: Protection, luck
- Cranberries: Protection, love
- Onion: Protection
- Potatoes: Healing
- Pumpkin: Abundance
- Cinnamon: Vitality, love
- Garlic: Healing
- Nutmeg: Money, luck
- Orange: Happiness
- Rosemary: Protection, cleansing
- Sage: Protection
- Sugar & Honey: Sweeten an atmosphere
- Thyme: Good health
On the Third Day of Witchmas: Honor the Goddesses of Yule
Take some time to honor the goddesses of Yule. This includes:
- Demeter, the Greek Goddess of the Harvest & Persephone’s Mother
- Frigg/Frigga, the Norse Sky Goddess of Marriage
- Gaia, the Greek Mother Goddess of All
- Holle/Mother Holle, the Germanic Goddess of Death & Regeneration
- Grandmother Spider, the Native American Mother Goddess
- Tiamat, the Mesopotamian Mother Goddess.
On the Fourth Day of Witchmas: Make a Yule Log
Create a Yule log for yourself or your family using a piece of firewood or a branch from your yard. Add holly, rosemary, or cinnamon sticks to the log with ribbon. Other elements to consider are pinecones, dried cranberries, star anise, or bay leaves. Combine it with white candles as a centerpiece for your table throughout the season. Then, on Yule, burn the log (remove anything that might cause harmful fumes) along with your intentions for the new year. Preserve a segment of the log to burn with next year’s Yule log to mark the continuing ebb and flow of time.
On the Fifth Day of Witchmas: Celebrate Krampusnacht
December 5th is Krampusnacht, or “Krampus Night.” In Central Europe, Santa’s dark counterpart, Krampus, is a creature with long horns, a pointed tongue, cloven hooves, and a tail. He looks the part of a stereotypical demon! It’s theorized that he may have pagan origins and could be modeled on the Horned God. Krampus wears a basket on his back into which he stuffs naughty children, carrying them away to be punished. He also carries a bundle of switches used to whack the disobedient and frighten them into behaving. Krampus also often wears chains which may be decorated with bells.
Today, like days of old, he is celebrated with parades and bonfires on December 5th. He’s become an unlikely folk hero with a warning underlying the frivolity: No one wants to draw Krampus’s eye, lest they receive a lump of coal…or worse!
On the Sixth Day of Witchmas: Honor the Gods of Yule
The gods want their attention, too, so take some time today to honor the gods of Yule. The following gods are associated with this time of year:
- Apollo, the Greek God of Light & the Sun
- Baldur/Balder, the Norse God of Light
- Dionysus, the Greek God of Wine & Festivity
- Mithras, the Persian and Roman God of Light & Sun
- Oak King & Holly King, the Pagan Wheel of the Year Gods
- Odin, the Norse Father of the Gods
- Ra, the Egyptian Sun God
- Saturn, the Roman God of Agriculture
On the Seventh Day of Witchmas: Practice Ice Magick
If you happen to have ice or snow on the ground, use it to cast some magick. If you don’t, freezer ice is just fine! You can “freeze” a spell gone wrong from doing more damage by placing any candle or spell remnants into a plastic bowl, covering it with water, and freezing it. If no spell remnants remain, you can write your intention for spell freezing on paper and freeze that.
You can do the same thing with your enemies to prevent them from performing magick against you. Just write their name on a piece of paper and freeze it!
Carve protective sigils into ice and keep it outside during winter or in your freezer. You can also use icicles or patches of natural ice for scrying.
On the Eighth Day of Witchmas: Create a Witch Bottle
Especially since it’s flu season, a healing witch bottle is an excellent choice for today’s magick. Add any of the following herbs or gemstones to your bottle and seal it with light blue, yellow, gold, pink, violet, or white wax.
Herbs for healing:
- Calendula
- Chamomile
- Comfrey
- Dandelion
- Echinacea
- Eucalyptus
- Feverfew
- Garlic
- Geranium
- Goldenseal
- Heather
- Honeysuckle
- Jasmine
- Lavender
- Lemon Balm
- Peppermint
- Sage
- John’s Wort
- Thyme
- Vervain
- Yarrow
For healing gemstones, consider using:
- Amethyst
- Aquamarine
- Bloodstone
- Calcite
- Emerald
- Hematite
- Jet
- Kunzite
- Lapis Lazuli
- Larimar
- Malachite
- Moldavite
- Moonstone
- Moss Agate
- Sodalite
On the Ninth Day of Witchmas: Practice Mug Magick
Add magickal ingredients to your morning coffee, brew a cup of cocoa, and stir in sigils for your magickal intentions like protection, abundance, creativity, or patience with relatives arriving soon. I’ve written an entire blog on Mug Magick, so be sure to read it here for tons of ideas!
On the Tenth Day of Witchmas: Make a Simmer Pot
Create a simmer pot with the fruits, rinds, and herbs from around your kitchen. A lemon or orange that’s been sitting out a bit too long or an apple that’s gone a little mushy is still perfect for creating simmer pots. Obviously, you can also buy ingredients specifically for the simmer pot, but I like to help my fellow Busy Witches out with shortcuts where I can!
Use your favorite herbs or choose from the following to infuse your home with the Yule spirit:
- Cloves for attraction, creativity, warmth, or happiness
- Star Anise for awareness, blessings, divination, or purification
- Cinnamon Sticks for healing, inspiration, strength, or success
- Sea Salt for protection
- Vanilla for focus, energy, luck, peace, or to relieve stress
- Nutmeg for new beginnings, calmness, sleep, or release
- Cardamom for confidence, purpose, creativity, or unity
On the Eleventh Day of Witchmas: Cleanse Your Home
Whether you use sound, smoke, salt, or door and floor washes, cleansing your home before the holidays is always a good idea – especially if you’ve got relatives coming into town. Use a singing bowl or bell to cleanse with sound, or turn on some high-vibe music and dance with it through each room.
Smoke cleanses with your favorite herbs can help clear the energy, too, or replace the salt in the bowls in your home before you greet guests. Listen to your intuition or ask your guides for assistance when choosing the best method.
On the Twelfth Day of Witchmas: Journal Your Vision for Next Year
On the final day of Witchmas, take some time to journal about your vision for the New Year. What went well this year, and what do you hope to accomplish next year? What are you grateful for as we close out the year? What are your intentions for Yule and the other wintertime holidays? Set some intentions and do some research on how you can activate those intentions next year.
And as always, remember that YOU are the magick.
Happy Witchmas, witches!
Love,
Megan